Salesman a complex, captivating literary adaptation

Taraneh Alidoosti and Shahab Hosseini in The Salesman. Image courtesy Cohen Media.

Much of The Salesman’s excellence comes from its examination of the death of a relationship. The marriage between the generally genial Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and his otherwise independent wife Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti) doesn't end with an enormous fight or a sudden implosion. Rather, the weaknesses of the marriage begin to seep through to the surface after one notable incident, revealing the reasons why their marriage was never as strong as the surface made it appear. That the entire situation results in tragedy only makes sense considering the film is an adaptation of Death of a Salesman, a play in which a man's flaws eventually overcome him.

Writer/director Asghar Farhadi blends a loose adaptation of the material with a literal retelling of it. Death of a Salesman is featured in The Salesman as a revival starring Emad and Rana, the actors periodically putting on the makeup and costumes to become lesser versions of themselves. The thematic presence of the show looms persistently even though the failure of Rana’s and Emad’s matrimony – an attack on the former by an unknown man at their apartment after a performance – comes from a different place than the pathetic torture Willy Loman puts himself through. Farhadi paints a rosy and progressive relationship between them, one fueled by common interests and familial potential. Farhadi cleverly obfuscates the possible causes for a destroyed marriage (although he again plays with the literal/figurative line by showing their first apartment crack from a construction accident) until the attack reveals the underlying issues with their wedding.

One of the complicated questions Farhadi poses in his wonderfully complex film is if the attack itself is the root cause of the unraveling or if it was the spur needed to end something that was never that great to begin with. The attack does change both Rana and Emad for the worst, with Rana losing her independence and becoming more docile and less effervescent. Alidoosti, who puts in a generally stellar performance, excels at showing the loss of her character's will and agency, revealing an empty shell of a person who is lost and confused after having her home violated. Her internal struggle hurts to watch, especially from a person as capable and fascinating as Rana. Emad, channeling his inner Willy Loman, is left impotent after being unable to prevent his wife's attack. It eats at him through the final two acts, his story evolving from a depiction of a decent and intelligent fellow to a man obsessed with discovering the man responsible for his shame. This aspect of The Salesman, tracing the root of the broken relationship, echoes a subplot in Death of a Salesman while adding trace elements of a detective film and a revenge thriller to the proceedings. It would appear the attack is the heart of the problem, but Farhadi is too good of a filmmaker to make it that simple. While it might be the impetus for it, Rana and Emad weren't able to overcome the worst versions of themselves. Farhadi makes it clear the problem lies in their inability to adapt and forgive, and for Emad to not let his perceived failings be what ultimately destroys the marriage.

Adding to the complexity of the situation is a running theme of Death of a Salesman Farhadi appropriates for his film about the simple and necessary values of a lie. Arthur Miller depicts the Loman family as a group on the precipice of falling apart, the lies its members tell the only thing keeping it together. The truth is the death knell for the Lomans, the factor that drives Willy Loman to suicide to avoid the shame he has wrought. Truth is equally dangerous in The Salesman, with Emad's quest for his wife's attacker the root cause for their demise. Farhadi makes that point clear once the attacker is revealed, in one of those rather smart twists that makes sense after the reveal, and the ramifications of his crime spreads beyond Rana, Emad and the attacker. Tragic figures like Loman and the characters in The Salesman can only live as long as the lie is in place; once the truth, whether it be a secret or a personality, comes to light, the stage lights go dark and all that remains is the remnants of an impossible fantasy.

Review: Four and a half out of Five Stars

• Note: This film was distributed through Amazon Studios. I am employed full time at Amazon but I work in a different division of the company.

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: PG-13

Run time: 125 minutes

Genre: Drama

Ask Away

Target audience: Foreign film fans and people into good cinema.

Take the whole family?: The content is appropriate enough for young viewers but not interesting enough to keep them engaged for that long. Probably best for late teens and older.

Theater or Netflix?: Theater isn't vital unless you want to see it before the Academy Awards.

Academy Awards odds?: This film is up for Best Foreign Language Film and it is a favorite along with Toni Erdmann. One thing that could push this film over the top though is the controversial executive order signed by President Donald Trump banning travel from seven countries. That order has barred Iranian writer/director Asghar Farhadi from attending the ceremony, and a couple of tracker sites have pointed out voters might pick Farhadi's film in response to Trump's decision.

Watch this as well?: There is something a bit A Streetcar Named Desire about The Salesman. The latter film is much less mystical, but both share the underlying need for lies and fantasies to hold a marriage together. Also watch or read Death of a Salesman to have a bit of grounding for the adaptation.